Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary (1997)

Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the ... See full summary »

Director:

S.R. Bindler

Stars:

Sid Allen, Brent Baskin, Greg Cox

3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sid Allen	...	Himself (Longview Partnership)
Brent Baskin	...	Contest Judge
Greg Cox	...	Himself (contestant)
J.C. Crum	...	Himself (Jack Long Nissan)
Janis Curtis	...	Herself (contestant)
J.D. Drew	...	Himself (contestant)
Tom Felker	...	Himself (contestant)
David Grotheim	...	Contest Judge
Blake Long	...	Himself (Jack Long Nissan)
Kelli Mangrum	...	Herself (contestant)
Mike Marris	...	Himself (judge)
Raul Martinez	...	Himself (contestant)
Jan Maynard	...	Herself (marketing director / contest supervisor)
Ronald McCowan	...	Himself (contestant)
Kerri Parker	...	Herself (contestant)

Storyline

Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the truck wins. An absurd marketing gimmick at first glance, the contest proves to be much more...

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Plot Keywords:

contest | truck | texas | motor car dealer | publicity stunt | 

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Taglines:

When you lose your mind, you lose the contest.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hands on a Hard Body

Filming Locations:

Longview, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$90,965 (USA) (28 August 1998)

Gross:

$492,876 (USA) (11 June 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Idea Entertainment, J.K. Livin Productions, Wessex Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2005, the competition was halted after one of the contestants broke into a nearby Kmart, took a shotgun from the sporting goods section, and committed suicide, which occurred during one of the breaks in the contest.

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Quotes

Himself (1992 winner: I like to get down there earlier so my odds are higher.

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Connections

Referenced in Bernie (2011)

User Reviews

A funny visit to the extremes of the human condition

An unexpected look at an apparently simple contest. This movie has tension, humor, insight, and heart. For so many Americans the divide between making it and failing is a working car. In a small town we see what some people will do to win a fully-loaded new pick-up truck.

One person here commented that the film exploits the poor people in the contest. I disagree. The people are presented as rounded individuals and the film includes interviews with the main characters, showing their viewpoints and not in a condescending way. The audience will find them amusing, but the tension comes from taking the contest seriously, and therefore, we take the contestants seriously too. We laugh at the human condition.

It's a shame this DVD is out of print. We still need this film!